Matt Trowbridge: White Sox-Cubs World Series? It could happen

Sorry if I seem so late to the bandwagon, but the White Sox are now the team to beat in the AL Central.
The Sox weren’t worth getting excited about when they led the division with a .500 record. Who celebrates their opponents’ ineptness? You get excited about your team, not its lack of competition. Well, that lack should last: Detroit can’t pitch (29th in ERA at 4.90), Cleveland can’t hit (30th in batting at .231) and Minnesota has no power or patience (29th in homers, 30th in walks).
The Sox now look as strong as their rivals do weak. The Sox rank 26th in batting (.248), but they’re fourth in homers and fifth in walks, making them 14th in runs. Their 3.46 ERA (third) may be a mirage, but so is Cleveland’s 3.47. And while the Sox are likely to pitch worse, they are just as likely to hit better. Orlando Cabrera, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome and Nick Swisher won’t all continue to hit below .220. In fact, none of them will finish below .220.
If the Sox are for real — and even 85 wins makes you real in the AL Central — then that puts an all-Chicago World Series into play. Because the Cubs clearly have the most upside in the National League.
Beasley a better pick than Rose
The Bulls can’t go wrong, but Michael Beasley would be a safer No. 1 pick than Derrick Rose. As good as Rose is — and he’s Chicago’s likely pick — almost no one thought he was better than Beasley until Memphis’ run to the NCAA finals. It’s risky to put too much emphasis on three or four games. Utah did that when it struck gold with Deron Williams. But Chris Paul, whom Williams unexpectedly passed in the draft, has been even better.
Can Danica save the Indy 500?
This winter’s reuniting of the Champ Car series and the Indy Racing League hasn’t added hype to open-wheel racing. Guess it’s up to Danica Patrick again. The Indy 500 needs Danica more than Danica needs the Indy 500.
NBA should change lottery
A ref gets busted for betting on games, the home team wins almost every playoff game, the league runs a draft lottery because it admits teams are losing on purpose to get the No. 1 pick, and that lottery keeps paying off major market longshots, from Patrick Ewing to New York to Derrick Rose in Chicago. The NBA has major, major credibility issues.
Here’s one fun solution that will never happen: make the lottery transparent by turning it into a Texas Hold ’Em game. Give each GM as many chips as he would have received lottery balls. Then let them gamble for their picks.
Financial sense for everyone
Love the new baseball trend of signing young stars to long contracts before they hit arbitration. It’s good for the team to get a Ryan Braun for eight years at $45 million or Evan Longoria for six years at $17.5 million. It’s also good for the player because, if he’s smart, he’s now set for life, no matter what happens. The difference in luxurious living is far greater from $500,000 to $17.5 million than it is from $17.5 million to $100 million. And if Longoria is worth $100 million, he’ll probably get it — maybe even $200 million — in six years.
NFL should change rookie pay
The NFL opted out of its collective bargaining agreement for 2012-13, but the only thing the league needs to change is its rookie contracts. Slot it like the NBA, which paid the No. 1 overall pick $3.885 million this year down to $771,000 for the No. 30 pick. For the NFL, start at $5 million and end at $2 million for the final No. 1 pick. Then limit contracts to three years (two less than the NBA). That way, the best players would make the most money, not just the highest-drafted.
Matt Trowbridge’s Quick Shots on Sports appear Sundays. He can be reached at 815-987-1383 or mtrowbridge@rrstar.com.

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